The Ottoman Military Schools at the Beginning of the 20th Century

Abstract

Up to the 20. th century, there were many military and civil secondary schools, established in accordance with western style of education in the Ottoman Empire. In those days, while the military secondary schools were widespread on all over the Empire, the elite military schools were at İstanbul. These were Baytar, Eyüp, Soğuk Çeşme, Beşiktaş, Fatih, Koca Mustafa Paşa and Toptaşı Military Secondary Schools and also The Imperial School of Military (Mekteb-i Harbiye), The Imperial School of Medicine (Mekteb-i Tıbbiye) and The School for Artillery Officers (Mühendishane-i Berri-i Hümayun) had got secondary sections. Moreover, there were naval colleges and other technical military schools such as The Naval College (Bahriye Mektebi), The Naval Machine Laboratory School (Bahriye Makine Uygulama Mektebi), The Sergeant School (Gedikli Öğrenciler Mektebi), The Merchant-Captain School (Tüccar Kaptan Mektebi), Naval Secondary School (Bahriye Rüşdiyesi), The Military Clerk School (Menşe-i Küttab-ı Askeri Mektebi), Naval Industry and Manufacturing School for Children (Bahriye Sanayi ve İmalat Sıbyan Taburu Mektebi), School of Pharmacy (Eczacılık Mektebi) and Nut College for Children (Tımarcı Sıbyan Mektebi). There were 6 military high schools and 20 military secondary schools in the Ottoman Provinces. The 6 military high schools were in cities such as Edirne, Erzurum, Bağdat, Bursa, Şam and Manastır. The 20 military secondary schools were in those cities such as Edirne, Erzurum, Erzincan, İşkodra, Bitlis, Bağdat, Beyrut, Halep, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Selanik, Şam, Sivas, Trabzon, Kastamonu, Üsküp, Mamuratülaziz, Manastır, Süleymaniye and Van. In this study, the statistical tables are designed to show the number of students and teachers, and also their curricula in the Military Schools by making use of the Almanacs of Cities and Ottoman Archival Documents.